Global Biosurfactants Market, By Type (Glycolipids, Alkyl Polyglucosides, Methyl Ethyl Sulfonates, Sucrose Esters, Sorbitan Esters and Others), By Application (Household Detergents, Personal Care, Industrial & Institutional Cleaners, Food Processing, Oilfield Chemicals, Agricultural Chemicals, Textiles and Other), By Region (Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa and South America), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 3.65 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	8.52%
Fastest Growing Segment	Glycolipids
Largest Market	Europe
Market Size (2031)	USD 5.96 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Biosurfactants Market will grow from USD 3.65 Billion in 2025 to USD 5.96 Billion by 2031 at a 8.52% CAGR. Biosurfactants are amphiphilic surface active substances synthesized by living microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, which possess the ability to reduce surface tension while offering superior biodegradability compared to synthetic equivalents. The market is primarily supported by stringent environmental regulations and a decisive industrial shift toward sustainable chemistry to lower carbon footprints. According to the American Cleaning Institute's 2024 Sustainability Report, 36% of its member companies have formally committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, a strategic target that significantly accelerates the adoption of renewable ingredients like biosurfactants in product formulations.

Despite this momentum, the widespread commercialization of these ingredients faces a substantial hurdle regarding production economics. The high operational expenses associated with fermentation yields and downstream processing often result in a price premium that limits their competitiveness against established petrochemical alternatives, thereby impeding broader market expansion across cost sensitive industrial sectors.

Key Market Drivers

Escalating Consumer Demand for Natural and Organic Personal Care Products is fundamentally reshaping the Global Biosurfactants Market, compelling manufacturers to reformulate cosmetics and hygiene solutions with renewable ingredients. As consumers increasingly scrutinize label transparency and environmental impact, major beauty conglomerates are aggressively replacing petrochemical surfactants with bio-based alternatives to secure market share. This strategic pivot is evident in the actions of industry leaders; according to L'Oreal, March 2025, in its '2024 Annual Report', the company achieved a milestone where 66% of the ingredients in its formulas were biobased, derived from abundant minerals or circular processes. Such large-scale adoption by dominant personal care brands signals a permanent transition away from synthetic chemistries, ensuring sustained demand volume for biosurfactants.

Simultaneously, Technological Advancements Utilizing Low-Cost Waste Substrates for Production are directly dismantling the cost barriers that have historically impeded widespread commercialization. Innovations in fermentation and downstream processing now allow for the conversion of agricultural residues and organic by-products into high-performance surfactants, significantly reducing reliance on expensive refined sugars or vegetable oils. For instance, according to Sasol Chemicals, October 2025, the company launched LIVINEX IO 7, a pioneering bio-circular surfactant derived from insect oil waste, with plans to expand the product line into the personal care sector within the next 12 months. This shift toward circular feedstocks is further reinforced by broader industry sustainability mandates. According to Stepan Company, in June 2025, the firm reported a 22% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, reflecting the sector-wide operational efficiency improvements that are making bio-based production increasingly economically viable.

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Key Market Challenges

The widespread commercialization of biosurfactants is significantly hampered by unfavorable production economics, which creates a competitive disadvantage against established petrochemical alternatives. The complexity of biological synthesis via fermentation, combined with the energy-intensive nature of downstream processing and purification, results in high operational expenditures. These elevated costs necessitate a price premium that cost-sensitive industrial sectors are often unwilling to absorb, particularly when synthetic surfactants offer identical functional performance at a fraction of the expense. Consequently, this pricing disparity limits biosurfactants to niche, high-value applications and prevents them from achieving the economies of scale required to challenge the dominance of fossil-based ingredients.

This economic barrier is clearly reflected in the current composition of the chemical industry's feedstock usage. According to the Renewable Carbon Initiative, in 2024, fossil resources continued to supply over 90% of the embedded carbon in the global chemical and derived materials sector. This overwhelming reliance on petrochemicals illustrates the difficulty bio-based alternatives face in disrupting established supply chains solely on environmental grounds without first achieving price parity.

Key Market Trends

Large-Scale Commercialization of Rhamnolipids and Sophorolipids is transitioning the market from niche applications to industrial ubiquity, driven by the construction of dedicated manufacturing infrastructure. Companies are moving beyond pilot-scale capabilities to establish robust supply chains that guarantee volume stability for global FMCG partners. This shift is exemplified by significant capital investments in production assets; according to Evonik, May 2024, in the 'Evonik drives sustainable biosurfactant revolution' press release, the company officially inaugurated a triple-digit million-euro facility in Slovakia, which stands as the world's first industrial-scale plant dedicated to rhamnolipid production. Such capacity expansions are critical for reducing unit costs and ensuring that biosurfactants can reliably replace petrochemical volume in high-turnover consumer goods.

Simultaneously, the Emergence of Biosurfactant-Based Agricultural Biostimulants represents a high-growth application vector, diverging from the traditional focus on cleaning and personal care. The agricultural sector is increasingly adopting these molecules to enhance soil health and crop productivity, leveraging their amphiphilic properties to improve nutrient uptake and water retention in compacted soils. Validating this efficacy, according to Locus Agriculture, October 2024, in the 'US Farmers Combat Soil Compaction' press release, independent field trials confirmed that the company's biosurfactant soil amendment technology increased crop yields by up to 34% across various produce categories. This performance data is accelerating the integration of microbial surfactants into modern agronomy, opening a lucrative revenue stream independent of the hygiene sector.

Segmental Insights

Glycolipids are projected to emerge as the fastest-growing segment in the Global Biosurfactants Market due to their favorable production economics and broad functional applicability. Unlike other surfactant classes, glycolipids offer higher fermentation yields which significantly reduces manufacturing costs for large-scale commercialization. This economic viability is further reinforced by stringent environmental regulations from organizations like the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which advocate for low-toxicity alternatives in industrial and household formulations. As a result, industries are increasingly adopting glycolipids to align with sustainability mandates while maintaining performance efficacy in cleaning and personal care solutions.

Regional Insights

Europe currently holds the leading position in the Global Biosurfactants Market, primarily driven by stringent environmental frameworks that prioritize sustainable chemical solutions. This market dominance is largely attributed to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation enforced by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). These rigorous mandates restrict the use of toxic synthetic ingredients, compelling manufacturers in the personal care and industrial cleaning sectors to transition toward biodegradable, bio-based alternatives. Consequently, the region fosters substantial demand for renewable ingredients as companies align with these obligatory green chemistry standards.

Recent Developments

• In December 2025, Locus Fermentation Solutions announced the closing of a strategic investment round to support the expansion of its domestic biomanufacturing capacity. The company secured over $40 million in total growth capital during the year, with the latest funding led by Hudson Bay Capital. This capital injection is intended to accelerate commercial activities and new product development across key sectors, including agriculture, energy, mining, and industrial formulations. The investment enables the company to scale its production of high-performance glycolipid biosurfactants, which are designed to replace traditional chemicals with bio-based solutions that offer improved sustainability and operational efficiency.
• In May 2025, AmphiStar and Kensing established a strategic partnership to introduce upcycled microbial biosurfactants to the North American personal care market. This collaboration combines AmphiStar’s innovative biotechnology platform, which produces biosurfactants from agri-food waste and side streams, with Kensing’s large-scale manufacturing capabilities and established distribution network. The partners aim to co-develop and commercialize a library of novel biosurfactant molecules, offering formulators high-performance, sustainable alternatives to traditional surfactants. The initiative focuses on delivering ingredients with a significantly reduced carbon footprint and environmental impact for applications such as shampoos, body washes, and lotions.
• In December 2024, Holiferm and Indorama Ventures announced a strategic partnership to market fermentation-derived biosurfactants in South America. Through this collaboration, Indorama Ventures agreed to distribute sophorolipids produced by Holiferm under a specific trade name within its own product line. The partnership aims to accelerate the adoption of these eco-friendly surfactants in the region, leveraging Indorama's extensive market reach and Holiferm's proprietary gravity separation technology. This agreement builds on successful initial commercial launches and targets the growing demand for sustainable ingredients in the home care and personal care sectors across Brazil and neighboring countries.
• In May 2024, Evonik officially inaugurated a new industrial-scale facility for the production of rhamnolipid biosurfactants in Slovakia. This plant, which represents a triple-digit million-euro investment, is the first of its kind globally to manufacture these sustainable biosurfactants on such a large scale. The facility produces high-quality, fermentation-based rhamnolipids that are fully biodegradable and serve as eco-friendly alternatives to petrochemical surfactants. These biosurfactants are designed for use in various industries, including personal care, cleaning, and coatings, helping customers meet their sustainability goals by reducing their reliance on fossil-based ingredients.

Key Market Players

• Evonik Industries AG
• BASF SE
• Croda International plc
• Jeneil Biotech, Inc.
• AGAE Technologies LLC
• Saraya Co., Ltd.
• GlycoSurf LLC
• TensioGreen
• AkzoNobel N.V.
• Givaudan SA

By Type	By Application	By Region
Glycolipids Alkyl Polyglucosides Methyl Ethyl Sulfonates Sucrose Esters Sorbitan Esters and Others	Household Detergents Personal Care Industrial & Institutional Cleaners Food Processing Oilfield Chemicals Agricultural Chemicals Textiles and Other	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Biosurfactants Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Biosurfactants Market, By Type:

• Glycolipids
• Alkyl Polyglucosides
• Methyl Ethyl Sulfonates
• Sucrose Esters
• Sorbitan Esters and Others

• Biosurfactants Market, By Application:

• Household Detergents
• Personal Care
• Industrial & Institutional Cleaners
• Food Processing
• Oilfield Chemicals
• Agricultural Chemicals
• Textiles and Other

• Biosurfactants Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE